Earlier today, it was reported that Acer’s CloudMobile A800 had been canceled because its Aliyun OS wasn’t compatible with the Android ecosystem. Acer made it made it known that Google had “expressed concerns” about the device’s launch, though several important details that could potentially explain the reasoning behind the decision were lacking. To clear up the issue, the Mountain View search giant has issued an official statement.

“Compatibility is at the heart of the Android ecosystem and ensures a consistent experience for developers, manufacturers and consumers. Non-compatible versions of Android, like Aliyun, weaken the ecosystem. All members of the Open Handset Alliance have committed to building one Android platform and to not ship non-compatible Android devices. This does not however, keep OHA members from participating in competing ecosystems.”

While the words above provide some insight as to why the device’s launch was indefinitely delayed, exact specifics regarding the way in which the Aliyun OS utilizes Android features is still unclear. Alibaba, the internet company collaborating with Acer on the phone, insists that the “Aliyun OS is built on open-source Linux and is not part of the Android ecosystem.” However, because Acer is a member of the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), the company is required to follow Google’s orders. For comparison, a company like Amazon isn’t required to cooperate with Google. It doesn’t have to follow the guidelines of the OHA, which means its Kindle Fire tablets aren’t subject to the same treatment.

Born in southern California, Colton is a self-proclaimed tech enthusiast. His first Android handset was the Motorola Backflip, though his passion for technology began when he received his first Windows 95-powered PC for a Christmas present as a child. Dumbfounded by the capabilities of the machine, he discovered an inherent fascination for software and electronics. Colton wrote for numerous news publications before establishing his own popular technology-oriented website. When he's not writing about or playing with the latest gadgets, he enjoys watching football and destroying friends in his fantasy league, preferably while eating Mexican food. Colton currently attends the University of Redlands, where he plans to major in journalism.

cooldoods

Android OEMs are given early access to new Android code while it is in development, compared to Amazon which has to wait for Google to post the finished code to the Android Open Source Project.

Aliyun is most probably an Android fork.

commentator

Aliyun is most probably a fork of android judging from the look and screen transitions. But also the fact that it runs android apps is a dead giveaway. Would anyone reverse engineer I.e. Wine fashion to provide compatibility? Did Alibaba rewrite the Dalvik VM?